The Runaway Refugee
by Gaki09
Summary: A test subject carrying a strain of influenza weaponized for biological warfare prematurely escaped a covert underground base before a cure had been developed. How will such a devastating plague change the way of life? Will the survivors adapt to a plague-stricken shinobi world?
1. A Mysterious Outsider

**The Runaway Refugee**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, unfortunately.

Summary: A test subject carrying a strain of influenza weaponized for biological warfare prematurely escaped a covert underground base before a cure had been developed. How will such a devastating plague change the way of life? Will the survivors adapt to a plague-stricken shinobi world?

A/N: As you may soon notice, this fic is inspired by my favorite book, 'The Stand' by Stephen King. He is an incredible writer, and I certainly recommend reading any of his books.

Arguably the best Naruto fic ever written, 'Dreaming of Sunshine' by Silver Queen, had an interesting quote at the start of every chapter. I enjoyed it, so I'll do the same. I recommend reading her fic before mine. A full list of recommendations is in my biography.

"Talent is a wonderful thing, but it won't carry a quitter." - Stephen King

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

It had been a rather peaceful day of border patrol for 3 young chuunin from The Hidden Mist. Outsiders seldom entered the Land of Water, both because it is home to the notoriously dangerous Bloody Mist and because of its geographical isolation by hundreds of miles of sea. Moreover, they were stationed at the southeastern border, opposite to any potential visitors from the major nations. As such, the chuunin were content to lie around, simply listening to the therapeutic collapsing of waves on the shoreline.

Suddenly, however, one of the guards was snapped out of his relaxed stupor when a distinct pitter-patter could be heard approaching on the surface of the water. The sound, which could easily be identified as water-walking, jolted Daisuke Hozuki into action. Unsheathing his long Katana from across his back, he quickly dissipated into water to begin his stealthy approach.

'He doesn't seem to be that tired,' Daisuke observed as he approached the scrawny man who had nearly made it to shore. 'But the nearest island is at least 30 miles away. No way he could have water walked so far and still have any chakra left! Where the hell could he have come from?'

Gemma suppressed another cough as he stepped onto shore. 'Finally,' he thought, 'I'm home.' It had been a relatively short journey from Orochimaru's underwater base stationed about 5 miles from the southeastern coast of The Land of Water. In the wake of one of Juugo's rampages, he had been able to sneak away and bolt for the nearest island.

Another coughing fit emerged, this one producing trace amounts of blood. 'Man, I've been coughing up blood all damn day. What the hell did they do to me?' As he wiped the blood spatters on the side of his shirt, he briefly saw the broad side of a sword before getting knocked out.

The pale Hozuki gathered Gemma's limp body in his arms as he leaped towards his nearest teammate.

'He's obviously a shinobi, but he doesn't have a headband. Is he hostile?'

Daisuke paused as he began to observe the man more closely. 'Jeez, he's paler than my left ass cheek. You'd think he's lived underground for the past few years.' Continuing his inspection, he noticed the man's side was slightly bloodied.

He lifted the bloodied shirt. 'Where's the wound? Eh, whatever. I'm sure someone else will figure it out.'

Conferring with his teammate, Daisuke decided he needed to report the intruder to the Mizukage immediately. So, he brought the sickly man straight into the heart of The Hidden Mist, where countless unsuspecting citizens were oblivious to the bomb that had just been dropped upon them.

Nightmares of his experiences as Orochimaru's guinea pig haunted Gemma's slumber. Locked away in a cramped cell like some sort of wild beast and fed the bare minimum of nutrients to survive, his muscles had atrophied severely. Once a husky man to be feared, Gemma was now nothing more than skin and bones. He had only reached The Hidden Mist on sheer willpower.

He hadn't known much of his purpose to Orochimaru, but he deduced that he was being used as a test subject to weaponize some series of diseases. He had always gotten over them, whether it be naturally or at the hands of a young red headed girl who gave him medicine, but he escaped before receiving treatment for his latest illness. Oh well, he'd shake it eventually, he figured. He always had been able to, so why would this one be any different?

 **Konoha**

"Would you like another bowl, Naruto-kun?"

"I wish, but I don't really have any money," Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't worry, this one's on the house," the young waitress said as she placed a steaming bowl of ramen in front of her favorite customer.

"Aw sweet! You're the best Ayame-chan!" the blonde ball of eccentricity said as slurped down his first mouthful and nearly choked.

"Sure thing. How are you doing at the academy?"

"Oh man, I'm doing great! I'll pass this time for sure!" Naruto said, with a hint of uncertainty that few could pick up on.

Naruto knew he could truly become a great ninja, but he just couldn't make a damn clone. Even after years of practice, he had seen no improvement. He worried inwardly every day about the upcoming exams, and was at a loss as to how to master the technique. The clone technique was useless anyway, he figured. He planned on destroying enemies so quickly that a clone would merely be waste of time.

Nonetheless, he still maintained his confident shell, suppressing his self-doubts and locking them away for none to see.

As Naruto waddled home, protruding belly and all, he spotted Sasuke sitting alone on a riverbank. 'Man, he seems so lonely. I guess he doesn't have a family, so he's kinda like me.'

As he was deep in thought, he hadn't noticed that his legs were moving in Sasuke's direction. He decided to go with it, and plopped down beside him. What's was the worst that could happen? They certainly couldn't become any less of friends, so it was worth a shot.

"The one in dead last…" Sasuke paused to steal a glance at the bloated blond, "what do you want?" he said in a cold yet inquisitive tone.

"What, I have to have a reason to sit next to you?"

Sasuke skipped a pebble on the lake, counting 4 hops before it submerged beneath the surface. Sasuke honestly didn't mind the boy's presence, as long as he wasn't trying to one-up him or impress Sakura. As such, he decided to remain quiet and hope Naruto would follow suit.

'Why is he ignoring me?' Naruto thought as he picked up a pebble, determined to outdo Sasuke. Failing miserably, without even managing a single skip, he turned to Sasuke, expecting to see a superior smirk on his face. Instead, Sasuke picked up another pebble.

"Here." Sasuke said as he tossed him the pebble. "You're supposed to throw is like a shuriken."

Naruto nodded, standing up as he cocked his arm back.

"What the hell is that?" Sasuke asked in disbelief. "Who taught you to throw like that?"

"Hey! I'm doing it just like Mizuki-sensei said, so take it up with him, not me."

"Show me the first academy kata," Sasuke ordered.

Naruto, somewhat confused, settled into position, as if he were completely confident in it. Just as he was waiting for Sasuke to say something, he had to jump away to avoid Sasuke's incoming fist.

"Hey! What the hell was—" Naruto was interrupted by a leg sweep that sent him to the ground.

"Your stance was horrible. I decided to demonstrate that for you."

"You could've just told me!"

Sasuke smirked. "Yes, I could've." He paused, allowing Naruto to get up. "Did Mizuki teach that to you as well?"

"Yeah, I swear! He offered to be my tutor after I failed the exam the first time and we train once a week. No way I would get it wrong!"

'Why would Mizuki-sensei mislead him? Is this why he's dead last?'

As an Uchiha, Sasuke was taught the ins and outs of shurikenjutsu and had learned the Uchiha taijutsu style many years ago. But, out of curiosity, he paid attention when Mizuki-sensei had taught the class so he could compare his techniques to the academy's. Thus, he knew that Naruto was executing them poorly.

Sasuke actually felt bad for Naruto. He could empathize with Naruto's loneliness, and knew that he had no friends in the academy. Nobody, not even his own teachers would pay any attention to him. Others treated him like dirt, as if they were angry that him for being alive.

'I wonder how strong he actually could be; the academy is capping his abilities and preventing him from excelling. Maybe I could be the one to unleash him. It'd be nice to have someone to give me somewhat of a challenge. A competent sparring partner would further my goal, even if he's unbearably annoying.'

"Follow me."

"To where?" Naruto asked. Lacking a reply, Naruto just blindly followed him.

 **3 months later**

The young, aspiring genin cluttered around the newly released class rankings. There were only a few months before the graduation exams, so the teachers already had a general idea as to who would pass. The rankings hadn't changed much since the beginning of the year, but one of the students had jumped in the rankings.

"I can't believe the demon fox jumped all the way from last to 5th. My attempts to mislead him haven't worked in 3 months; what the hell is going on?" Mizuki said to a coworker, who seemed equally distraught. The two of them were glaring at Naruto, who was just getting into a position to see his updated ranking.

"He even started performing the academy techniques correctly, and throws shuriken and kunai like the Uchiha!" Mizuki continued, wondering what could've possible happened.

"All right!" Naruto yelled, visibly annoying some of the other students. "Sasuke, I'm all the way up to 5th!"

"I suppose I can't call you a loser anymore."

It turned out that fixing Naruto's taijutsu stances and throwing style had raised his practical grade immensely. Naruto had only trained with Sasuke a few times, mostly to fix things he was doing incorrectly, but he had still made massive strides in the academy. Naruto was a quick learner, and became an adept fighter upon learning proper taijutsu stances. Seeing his improvements motivated him to actually try academically, as well. Naruto missed class much less frequently, and usually paid attention in class.

But one problem remained: he was still incapable of producing a clone. He tried desperately to follow Iruka's instructions, but nothing seemed to work.

* * *

"Hinata-chan, wait up!"

The young girl turned as she let out a small gasp. What could Naruto and Sasuke possibly want from her?

"Hello N—Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun." She twiddled her thumbs nervously as she waited for them to speak.

"I need you, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, choosing his words poorly.

Sasuke's eyebrows raised as a smile came across face.

Hearing those words, Hinata's heart dropped. 'He needs me? He feels the same about me?' She tried to speak, but could only mouth, "W—What?"

Frowning at her lack brevity, Naruto elaborated. "I need you to help me with my training. I can't do a clone, and Sasuke says that your B—By—"

"Byakugan," Sasuke said while rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, that. He said you could watch me and tell me what I'm doing wrong."

While disappointed that she misinterpreted his words, she was still happy that he was seeking her out. She was happy to help, or do anything with Naruto. She followed the two boys out to the academy practice field, where her eyes widened as she watched him attempt the technique.

"Um, you're using too much chakra."

With a determined look, Naruto tried once more, using as little chakra as possible. Again, the outcome repeated itself. "I can't use any less chakra! That's not fair!" Naruto yelled as he clenched his hands together.

"You have incredible chakra reserves Naruto-k—kun."

Hinata knew that he'd probably never be able to perform techniques that used so little chakra, but she just didn't have the heart to tell him. How could she possibly crush his dreams? She hoped he would find a way to graduate. If anybody could, it was Naruto.

He wondered what his next course of action could be. Clones were currently impossible; he simply couldn't use so little chakra. He considered asking Iruka-sensei for an exemption from that portion of the exam, but figured he didn't have the power to do so. So, he decided to consult the most powerful person in the village.

"Hey, kid, the Hokage is on break."

"Yeah, yeah, well Naruto Uzumaki needs to talk to him!" Naruto said as he raced past the Hokage's assistant.

He wished that Sasuke would've accompanied him to see the Hokage, but Sasuke said something about 'needing to get stronger.' Naruto felt that everyone always seemed to suck up to Sasuke and do whatever he said, so Naruto really wanted his help. Regardless, he knew the old man had a soft spot for him and his antics, so he still had a feeling he could work it out.

"Naruto-kun, what brings you here?" the Hokage said just as Naruto was turning the doorknob.

"Ah, well," not exactly sure how to ask, Naruto paused. "I need a big favor."

"Oh?" the Hokage asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"So you know how I need to do the clone technique to graduate but I've never been able to?" he paused, waiting for a small nod. "Well, I had Sasuke and Hinata-chan help me, and Hinata says I'm using way too much chakra, even when I use as little as I can, and said that I have a lot of chakra."

"I see," the Hokage began. "And what is this favor?"

"Well, I was kinda hoping you could let me skip that part so I could graduate. I mean, who even uses clones? It's not like—" he stopped babbling as the Hokage raised his hand.

"I've been told you have gone from last to fifth in the class, only behind some of our most promising clan heirs. Is this correct?"

"Yeah, Sasuke fixed all of the wrong stuff Mizuki was teaching me so my training has really picked up."

Deciding that was an entirely different issue to investigate, he continued. "I will compromise, since you have been trying so hard lately. And be sure to thank Sasuke-kun. You are exempt from the academy's clone technique."

Naruto began cheering, only to be interrupted by the old Hokage once more. "However, you must learn this technique," he said as he walked over and uncovered a hidden scroll. Taking a drag from his pipe, he contemplated if he should really give an academy student such a dangerous technique.

'Well, he would have to learn it eventually, and he already has more chakra than the Jonin who use it. I suppose it's alright.'

"You will learn the Kage bunshin technique. It requires far more chakra than its regular counterpart. As such, you must exercise caution when using it. Many have died by overexerting themselves," he said, exaggerating to get his point across. "Furthermore, you will only practice learning it in this tower's training facility under the supervision of an Anbu that I will assign. You will not view any other jutsu in this scroll, as they are forbidden and life-threatening. You don't want to break these rules." He paused to sigh inwardly, remembering how his successor was killed using a technique in the scroll. "Do you understand, Naruto?"

Naruto jumped in place, barely containing his excitement. "When can I start?"

* * *

A/N:

Just as a heads-up, I'm not suddenly making Sasuke a friendly person. He is still his antisocial, broody self. He only helped Naruto a couple times, fixing his stances, etc. I'm trying to keep this story realistic and I'm certainly not going to have an OP Naruto. Please raise your concerns in the reviews if you think I'm violating these rules.

Some of you may have noticed a lack of indirect interior monologuing (when I comment on a character's thoughts). This was intentional; the characters are currently very similar to their canonical versions. As such, you know exactly what is going through their heads. I'll pick up the monologuing as we delve deeper into the plot, which can change the way these characters act. There is also an abundance of dialogue because I want the backstory to progress quickly so you can start reading the more interesting things that accompany the plot divergence from canon.


	2. A Forbidden Jutsu

**The Runaway Refugee**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, unfortunately.

"The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted." - Stephen King

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

Merely an hour went by before Naruto had a decent grasp on Shadow Clones. It really wasn't a difficult technique; only a single hand seal was required. For the duration of his training session, he had been dying to peek at some of the other jutsu, but he knew an Anbu was watching.

'Anbu don't seem _that_ special,' Naruto thought, trying to locate his overseer to no avail. 'I mean, they could barely keep up with me when I would get chased after a prank, so maybe I can take a tiny peek.'

Suddenly, Naruto had a clever idea. Channeling his chakra, he created as many Shadow Clones, each with their own forbidden scroll, as he could – around 75 – and had them huddle together like a colony of penguins.

The Anbu's eyes widened. Previously, Naruto had only created a few clones at a time. But now, a sea of orange stood before him and he was clueless as to whether Naruto was looking at other jutsu or not.

'There, that should keep him busy for a couple minutes,' Naruto thought as he subtly flipped through the pages while hiding in the crowd of clones.

'The Great Clone Explosion.' Naruto traced the words with his fingers as he read the technique's description.

 _This jutsu works in conjunction with the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Upon creating a Shadow Clone, you may designate it as a glorified suicide bomber. It will only explode when you, as the original, remotely detonate it._

 _Hand Seals Used: You must use the seal of confrontation before using the hand seal needed for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. To detonate, you must again use the seal of confrontation and the command 'Katsu.'_

 _Shinobi credited with creation: Itachi Uchiha_

The necessary hand seals seemed rather simple. Though, Naruto would have to learn what exactly the seal of confrontation is. He closed the scroll, dispelled his clones, and sprinted back to the Hokage's office.

"Sorry Naruto, I'm not going to help you. That wasn't part of the deal," the Old Hokage said as Naruto opened the door with an infectious smile.

Letting out a small chuckle, Naruto creating 10 copies of himself and grinned at Hiruzen's incredulous look.

"Don't worry old man, I already did it," the copies said in unison.

"Impossible," he said, hearing a gasp from one of his hidden anbu.

"It's not impossible for the future Hokage!" Naruto's eyes narrowed. "So…do I get a bonus for learning it so quickly?"

"If you want Ramen, you can always just ask."

* * *

"What are you doing here? You're interrupting my training," Sasuke said, obviously annoyed.

"Just watch this," Naruto said rather smugly.

He was finally getting the hang of the Great Clone Explosion Jutsu. He could still only produce incredibly small explosions, almost visually indistinguishable from the regular poof that accompanies the dispelling of his Shadow Clone, but he was ecstatic nonetheless.

Suddenly, with a single hand seal, a copy of Naruto appeared.

Sasuke's brows furrowed. "This isn't a regular clone."

"Yeah, it's a Shadow Clone. The Hokage showed it to me since I can't do the regular one. It takes a lot more chakra because they're solid copies that can think for themselves. See?" Naruto gestured towards his clone and stuck up his middle finger.

"Do it again and I'll take that finger as a souvenir," the clone said aggressively.

He dispelled the clone, this time creating another one using different hand seals.

"You used different hand seals. What's the difference?"

"Look closer," Naruto said, barely concealing his grin.

As Sasuke approached, Naruto, with a single hand seal, detonated the clone but it did nothing more than startle the Uchiha.

"You can make them explode?"

"Yeah, and I'm trying to make the explosions bigger!"

Sasuke imagined a hundred Naruto clones converging on enemies, all simultaneously exploding and leaving barren landscape in their wake. He winced inwardly at the potential destruction Naruto held.

"But make sure you don't tell anybody I can do it. I kinda wasn't supposed to learn it," he said, timidly rubbing the back of his head.

"Then why did you tell me?" Sasuke asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, you're kinda my only friend."

Sasuke's eyed widened slightly. He knew Naruto was lonely, but he figured he had at least a couple friends; everybody had a friend or two. Naruto struggled befriending others; Sasuke chose not to.

"We've only trained together a few times, mostly to fix your stances, and you've always despised me. How are we friends?"

"That's still more help than I've ever gotten before, and it'll help me become a shinobi."

Sasuke, choosing not to object any further, returned to his training. Naruto, however, discontent with Sasuke's silence, jumped at Sasuke, initiating a spar. Sasuke could still trounce Naruto easily, but his clones had added a new element to their rare spars. Sasuke had a lot of trouble dealing with so many opponents, and only had a couple area of effect ninjutsus capable of dispatching large numbers of clones. He could only use his Fireball Jutsu so many times before tiring, while Naruto could produce a seemingly endless number of clones.

* * *

Graduation exams had finally rolled around, and Naruto was excited to finally pass. Failing twice was demoralizing, even though he had been younger than his classmates who passed.

Naruto's ears perked up instinctively as Sasuke's name was called into the exam room. He would've wished him good luck, but he knew Sasuke didn't need it.

'Hmm, I guess I could mess with the proctors a little. They've never seen me do Shadow Clones.'

As Naruto stood up to the sound of his name, he briefly looked around. His classmates wore smiles that mocked Naruto. It was almost as if they couldn't wait for him to fail.

He stood in front of the instructors who had failed him twice before, Iruka and Mizuki. Iruka had a wishful look on his face, as if he really hoped Naruto would pass. Mizuki, however, looked disinterested, seemingly confident that Naruto would mess up the clone technique. Naruto was eager to quell any doubts of his abilities.

Grinning, Naruto performed the other two basic ninjutsu flawlessly.

"Alright, Naruto, attempt to make a clone," Mizuki said in a condescending manner.

Inwardly chuckling as his choice of words, which almost implied he would fail, Naruto formed a single hand seal.

Iruka actually yelped in surprise, leaving everyone, even those still in the classroom awaiting the test, wondering what had happened.

"Is this enough clones?" a hundred Naruto clones, enough to completely fill the room, shouted simultaneously.

"N—Naruto…" Iruka whispered, stammering.

"How did you go from being completely inept to this?" Mizuki asked.

"I had some help training," he said through a fit of laughter.

"You pass. Come grab a headband. Congratulations, you are now a shinobi of Konoha and will be expected to serve with dignity and extend the will of fire to others."

Snatching a headband excitedly, Naruto quickly tied it around his head as he walked to the room holding those who passed. He had dreamed of earning a headband for years, and a tear was brought to his eye as he reflected on the past few months. Sasuke had helped him improve substantially, and they even befriended each other in the process. Naruto was anxious for what the future held, but he knew he could overcome any challenge tossed at him.

There were a few peers with surprised looks as Naruto walked into the room. He had graduated fourth in the class, but other still seemed to view him as an idiotic dead last.

"What, of course I passed!"

"Surprisingly," Sakura whispered.

"He graduated above you," Shikamaru said with his eyes closed.

"And you, so go back to sleep and be quiet."

* * *

"Alright, your team assignments will occur tomorrow at 8 o'clock in this very room. Don't be late," Iruka said as he vanished.

"I wonder who our teammates will be," Naruto said, as he followed Sasuke out of the room. Ideally, Naruto preferred to be on Sasuke's team. They had become pretty good friends, at least in Naruto's opinion, and Naruto didn't fancy his odds at being able to befriend new people. He also hoped he could be with Sakura, but he wasn't as infatuated with her as he had been. His newfound work ethic naturally distracted him from his interest in Sakura.

Iruka, equipped with his clipboard that held the futures of many, walked into a room full of antsy genin. Placing the clipboard on his desk, he cleared his throat as the noise abruptly stopped.

"I will now read the team assignments. Please group up after all names have been read."

Naruto listened attentively and glanced around the room, picking out those he had no interest in teaming with. He realized that he'd only be happy working with a few of his classmates, but expected to be disappointed. 27 genin had passed, after all. What are the odds he gets the exact teammates he wants?

"…Team 7; Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha."

The three new teammates had very similar reactions. Sakura, being infatuated with Sasuke, merely stared at Sasuke in delight. Naruto and Sasuke however, both wide eyed, exchanged small smiles as the remaining teams were announced.

"The teams have been finalized. Please wait for your Jonin sensei to arrive and follow their directions. Good luck."

Hours later, in sauntered a tired looking gray-haired man with his gaze locked on a small orange book.

As he stepped inside, a dirty eraser fell on his head, filling his hair with chalk. Kakashi had seen it, but decided to let his students have their moment.

Before any of the genin could interrogate him about his tardiness, or ask how a Jonin couldn't evade such a simple prank, Kakashi spoke. "Meet me on the roof now."

As he vanished in a cloud of smoke, Naruto and Sasuke raced out of the room with Sakura lagging behind. Bounding up the stairs, Naruto created a few Shadow Clones to hold Sasuke back long enough for Naruto to reach the rooftop first.

He stepped out of the door smugly, but was hanging upside down before he had blinked.

"Ah! What the...?"

"Two can play at that game," Kakashi said calmly with a smile.

"How the hell did you set that up so quickly? Let me go!"

Sasuke and Sakura, both letting small smiles emerge, sat around the suspended Naruto.

"Alright, let's start with introductions. The prankster can go first."

"Hey, let me down first!" Naruto shouted as his face was becoming purple.

"Meh, that's too much work."

As Sasuke got up to help his teammate out, Kakashi intervened.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but just let him hang out for now."

"That's what you think!" Naruto said as he created a clone to untie him. "Ha!"

"I suppose I'll have to bind your hands next time," Kakashi said, impressed that his student had already learned such an advanced technique.

"If there even is a next time," Naruto muttered. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future greatest Hokage!"

"That's cute. Well, meet me at training ground 15 tomorrow at 6 AM."

"What about the introductions? And why do we have to train so early?" Sakura asked.

"I already know everything about you, and it's not training. It's the real graduation exam. Don't be late!" he said snidely as he vanished.

"Don't be late? Ironic coming from him," Sakura finally said.

"Wait, the real graduation test? Didn't we just pass it?" Sakura said.

"Evidently not," Sasuke said as turned to leave with Naruto following.

"Sasuke-kun, I was wondering if we could train together,"

Sasuke turned to Naruto, as if to consult him. Naruto's eyes seemed to urge him to accept her request, despite Sasuke's apparent disdain for Sakura.

Deciding his new team should probably train together, however, he simply muttered, "fine," before turning to jump towards a training field.

"Tired already? We just started, and Naruto hasn't even used his clones yet."

"Clones… What are illusions… supposed to do?" Sakura said between pants.

They had been sparring for nearly an hour now, though it had mostly evolved into a rivalrous battle between Naruto and Sasuke.

"Illusions? Naruto, show her," he said, nodding to Naruto.

Suddenly, upwards of a hundred of him appeared, filling the clearance they were in.

"…I think I've seen this before… in a nightmare," Sakura said as she punched a Naruto, only for him to burst into a cloud of smoke.

"Shadow Clones," Sasuke clarified. "They're solid, autonomous beings, unlike a regular clone."

"There's a reason I graduated 4th in the class, ya know. I'm not as stupid as you think."

Naruto internally cheered at Sakura's look of disbelief. 'Finally! I impressed Sakura! All it took was learning a super dangerous Jonin level jutsu. Maybe she'll finally go on a date with me, or even be nice to me for once."

"Yeah, because Sasuke trained you," she finally concluded.

"What?" Naruto said as he broke away from his internal victory dance.

"You only graduated 4th because Sasuke helped you, I'm sure."

"Ignorant. You don't know what initially held Naruto back, so it isn't your place to comment. Mizuki intentionally taught Naruto incorrectly; I merely taught him exactly what you learned."

Sakura, stunned at Sasuke's defense of Naruto, silenced herself. Instead of sympathizing with Naruto and wondering why he was taught incorrectly, she instead worried about Sasuke. 'It seems all I do is enrage Sasuke. Why doesn't he like me? I mean, how can someone like Naruto more than me?'

* * *

"You claim that this man was running into the southwest border of the Land of Water? And you swiftly knocked him out without further injuring him?"

"Yes, Mizukage-san."

"Am I'm supposed to believe that someone so emaciated and drenched in blood ran 30 miles from the nearest island? I'm sure you can see my hesitance to believe your account of what happened."

"Yes, Mizukage-san, but I have no reason to lie."

"All right. You are dismissed."

Daisuke, a member of the esteemed Hozuki clan, left the Mizukage's office and finally exhaled. He was always nervous talking to Yagura. Being in the presence of a Jinchuuriki, especially one who was responsible for his village's nickname – 'The Bloody Mist' – always unsettled him.

'Whatever, I guess I should return to my post,' Daisuke thought as he coughed into the fold of his arm.

* * *

A/N: We're finally starting to get into the meat of the story, so it'll get increasingly interesting. Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review so I can improve.


	3. A Passing Performance

**The Runaway Refugee**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Am I actually required to state this? Probably just a fanfic trope… but I'm too lazy to look into it, so you'll see this from here on out. Have fun!

"We lie best when we lie to ourselves." – Stephen King

* * *

The next day, the three unsuspecting academy graduates arrived promptly. Their Jonin sensei, however…

"It's 10 o'clock! When the hell is Kakashi-sensei gonna show up!"

"This better not be a recurring thing," Sakura said, sharing in Naruto's annoyance.

Lounging in the surrounding trees, Kakashi had finally finished another chapter of his little orange book, for the 87th time to date. 'Eh, I guess this is a good stopping point,' Kakashi figured as leapt down next to his 3 startled genin. Before too much complaining had occurred, he cut them off and showed a serious side of himself that others rarely saw. His intentions, in fact, were to intimidate the three young shinobi as he explained the test that had sent many prospective genin back to the academy.

"And so, if you don't get a bell by noon, you fail. Ready?" Kakashi paused to once again open his book, "Go."

Despite feeling disrespected by Kakashi's disinterest, the three genin leapt into action. Naruto, with all the confidence in the world, engaged Kakashi directly, with Sasuke periodically throwing kunai, shuriken, and fireballs to try to create openings for Naruto. Sakura, however, was much more hesitant.

'I'll wait for Naruto and Sasuke to distract him so much that I can sneak in and take the bells.' This train of thought was disrupted, however, as Naruto flew past her and into a nearby tree. He emerged, holding his ass.

"Not cool, Kakashi! I should've figured you'd do something like that, since you're always reading those books…"

"Hey, that's an advanced taijutsu technique," Kakashi said jokingly.

"What, so many girls reject you that you need to go for little genin now?"

"You won't be a genin if you keep saying stuff like that," Kakashi said, flipping another page in his book.

"Naruto, shut up and get over here! You too, Sakura." Sasuke yelled out to his teammates, signaling for them to regroup.

Safely out of Kakashi's earshot, or so they thought, Sasuke began. "Here's the plan. Naruto, make as many shadow clones as you can, and henge one into Sakura. Then, have the Naruto clones attack Kakashi at once. I'm sure he'll pop them all pretty easily, so once their numbers dwindle, have the clone henged into Sakura rush Kakashi. At the same time, I'll send a huge fireball his way. The Sakura clone needs to get hit by that, and another Naruto clone needs to henge into a Sakura that is burned to a crisp. Make it look bad, as if your life is on the line. And make sure you time it well so Kakashi doesn't see it happen. Maybe we'll get him, even for a moment, to drop his guard and help the Sakura clone. If he does that, we'll somehow pounce and take the bells. Alright?"

"Do you really think a Jonin will fall for that?" Sakura asked.

"Do you really think we can take the bells from him in actual combat? He's one of the best shinobi in the village."

Convinced, the team set out to begin their best shot at taking the bells. Nearby, a Kakashi shadow clone dispelled.

'Interesting. I guess I'll humor their cute little plan.'

Once Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura's perfect lookalike reached the clearance that Kakashi nonchalantly read his book in, Naruto created numerous shadow clones and surrounded Kakashi. Wish a single hand, and without ever looking away from his book, Kakashi make quick work of the hoards of clones being sent at him.

As Sasuke threw a few shuriken at him to make it seem as if nothing was out of the ordinary, he signaled to the Sakura clone to begin the crucial part of their plan. She rushed in, getting close enough to Kakashi to make it seem like Sasuke's fireball wasn't missed intentionally.

As Kakashi jumped back, away from the fireball and unrelenting clones, he heard a girlish, prolonged scream. As he expected, he saw a perfectly realistic charred Sakura, lying near lifelessly on the ground.

"Sasuke, what the hell did you do! You hit Sakura dead-on!" Frantically, Naruto ran up to his shadow clone, which looked like it had spent the night in a bonfire.

"Kakashi-sensei! Sakura needs help!"

Kakashi suddenly appeared next to them, kneeling down next to the remarkably well-henged clone. He pretended to inspect the clone as he waited for their attempt at the bells. The remaining clones had all surrounded them, as if they were waiting for Kakashi to somehow heal the burned one.

Sneakily, Sasuke coated his ninja wire in chakra, hardening it. He then tried to thread it through the openings in the bells, only for Kakashi to ruthlessly punch the burned clone directly in the face. Startled, Sasuke quickly tried the yank his ninja wire to dislodge the bells. Kakashi, however, pulsed his lightning chakra back through the ninja wire and momentarily paralyzed Sasuke.

As quickly as they had appeared, the rest of Naruto's clones were destroyed, with Kakashi displaying some of his true speed. Even more quickly, Kakashi immobilized Naruto with ninja wire, and a clone of his carried an unconscious Sakura – the real one – into the clearing, plopping her down next to her teammates.

Silence suffocated the training ground. The three children could do nothing but wait until noon, expecting failure.

When Kakashi's alarm clock rang, Kakashi grinned at the genin, which they misconstrued to be a mockery of their failure. They were surprised, however, when Kakashi, in a light-hearted tone, spoke.

"You pass!"

Though confused, the three of them collectively cheered, before questioning the merit of their passing performance.

"But we didn't get the bells, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said as he was finally freed from the nest of wires that entangled him.

"Ah, it was never about the bells. If only one or two out of every three academy graduates could actually become genin, how could we ensure there are even three-man squads? No, this test was about teamwork, which you all demonstrated in a competent, though odd, way. The thought that only two of you could pass should have split you up, but you showed great teamwork, which is the foundation from which we can build this team."

"Gah, you sound too much like the old man when you get all formal like that. I'm starving, let's go get Ramen to celebrate!"

* * *

Daisuke Hozuki had seen a doctor just 3 days after the incident with the strange outsider. He hadn't been feeling too badly, but his girlfriend nonetheless forced him into the doctor's office. He was convinced it was a simple cold, or something of the sort, until he coughed up blood splatters. A fluke, he presumed.

Strangely enough, the medical shinobi weren't able to diagnose Daisuke with any known ailment. Even after extensive testing, the doctors were only able to compare it to 'flu-like symptoms,' which is incredibly vague. They had sent him home with some simple antibiotics, only to further spread his illness.

The Hidden Mist was so geographically distant from the Hidden Leaf, yet this looming danger seemed so close.

A/N: Had to get through the obligatory bell test. Now, I have some freedom with where I go with the story. Expect some originality in the upcoming chapters.

* * *

Would very much appreciate a review/PM with constructive criticism and your general thoughts thus far!


	4. Desolation?

**The Runaway Refugee**

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto.

"Hearts can break. Yes, hearts can break. Sometimes I think it would be better if we died when they did, but we don't" - Stephen King

* * *

"These D-ranks are getting on my nerves. Seriously, why can't they pay civilians for these jobs?"

"They're getting on your nerves? Naruto, you have your shadow clones do all the work for you," Sakura said.

"Yeah, but when they dispel I remember all the boring stuff they did, and my back even starts hurting a little if they pulled weeds or did something tiring. Plus, I just want to start getting interesting missions."

Sasuke looked up, struggling to swallow his ramen noodles quickly so he could speak.

"I thought you couldn't feel any pain from your clones?" he said in an inquisitive manner.

"It isn't really pain, it'll just feel a little sore. Kinda like how it feels after a hard training session."

To this, Sasuke's eyebrows raised in realization.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"I think we should talk to Kakashi-sensei about something. Well, something besides trying to get a C-rank."

* * *

"But, Kakashi-sensei, we've been doing these stupid chores for 3 weeks!" Naruto yelled.

"No, your clones have been doing them for 3 weeks."

"Yeah, but I remember everything they do!"

"I'm aware of how they work. It was a popular jutsu in my generation, before it became forbidden."

"How exactly do they work?" Sasuke said as he finished his spar with Sakura.

"Ah, there's a lot to it. Anything in particular you want to know?"

"Well, Naruto said his back was somewhat sore after his clones had pulled weeds for him. But, he also can't feel any of their pain. How does that work? He says he gets the memories from dispelled clones. Does he also get their muscle memory and training progress?"

"More pointedly, they can indeed accelerate one's training."

"And you never told me? I could've been using that the whole time?"

"It's dangerous to take in too much information from your clones. It is forbidden for a reason, after all. Plus, you use clones in most of training anyway, so I figured it wouldn't hurt much."

Naruto, still upset about his lost time, was soon placated by Kakashi, who offered to find a C-rank mission for compensation. After some mild cheers, the genin were led to the Hokage's office for a briefing on their new mission.

Team 7 stood in the Hokage's office, eager to receive their first mission that wasn't some mind-numbingly boring chore. Though they'd never admit, each of the genin could feel a tinge of nervousness picking at the back of their mind. They weren't necessarily nervous for their safety, but they were unsure of what exactly being a shinobi entailed. This mission would set the tone for the rest of their careers, and it would allow them to assess their skills more practically.

"Hello, you all," the Hokage started as he drew from his pipe. "The mission you have been assigned is simple, though important."

"How so?" Naruto said, too excited to let the Hokage finish.

"We haven't been able to contact the Hidden Mist Village in over two weeks. Trade has completed ceased. None of their courier ninja have arrived here lately. We are unsure of what has happened, but the recent developments have international consequences. You all have been assigned to travel to the Hidden Mist and _stealthily_ determine what has happened. Understood?"

"Hokage-sama, what have our courier ninja and caravans said? Wouldn't they know?" Sakura said.

"One of our courier ninja last visited them about a week and a half ago. She was not told about anything beforehand, as it had only been a few days without contact, so she was not on the lookout for anything odd. Things seemed normal, to her, but she was in the village for less than an hour. Thus, we are assigning your team to it. Again, make sure to be stealthy; we want to learn the truth, after all. You are to leave as soon as possible."

"Alright, let's go get ready," Kakashi said as he led his students out of the door.

'Hmm, Kakashi-sensei said to pack for two weeks, so I guess I should take all the instant ramen I have. And some ration bars too, I guess,' Naruto thought as he cleared his pantries of food. 'I wish I had some storage scrolls,' he concluded, as he packed a hilariously large backpack with mostly ramen. As he finished up, he left to meet the rest of his team at the east gate.

To everyone's dismay, Kakashi had arrived first. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that he was one of Konoha's finest shinobi who was capable of being serious once in a blue moon.

"We should get to the edge of the Land of Fire within two days. From there, we'll have to boat to the island that the Hidden Mist is on, which'll take another day at the least. Let's go?"

Much later in the day, as the sun began to set, Kakashi instructed his team to set up camp next to a nearby river. They had made quite a bit of progress and were slightly ahead of schedule. They figured they could make it to the boat by midday the next day and arrive in The Hidden Mist the next morning.

"Alright, Naruto and his clones can collect firewood. Sasuke can pitch the tents and help find food, and Sakura can grab some water from the river and cook."

"What're you gonna do?" Naruto said.

Smiling, Kakashi merely pulled out his book and made himself comfortable.

Naruto, as if to mock his sensei, instructed a few clones to collect firewood as he plopped himself down next to Kakashi, trying to make himself even more visibly comfortable.

"Do you ever do anything besides read that smut?" Naruto said, breaking a few moments of silence.

Kakashi turned his head to the side. "Sometimes I torture young genin who interrupt my reading time."

"Torture them? You mean you use A Thousand Years of Death on other unsuspecting genin? You're even more of a pervert than I thought."

"It's an extremely advanced taijutsu technique, Naruto. Forbidden, too."

"Maybe it's forbidden because one too many old men used it on little boys!"

"Hey now, _little boy_ , I could do far worse."

"You wish," Naruto said as he stumbled over to greet Sakura, who had just returned with some water to boil.

"Uh, do you have anything to start a fire with?" Sakura asked.

Naruto shook his head. 'Damn, I guess I can't cook my instant ramen,' he thought.

She silently wished that Sasuke were there to help. Instead, Sakura walked over to get some help from Kakashi.

* * *

"We should hit the shoreline of the island that the Hidden Mist is on in an hour. Remember, this is a stealth mission above all else," Kakashi paused to look at Naruto, before smiling. "Hopefully everybody in the Mist is colorblind."

Some slight banter continued as the team finally stepped foot on the island. Kakashi didn't notice any border patrol, though they did run aground in a rather remote portion of the island.

The group had decided to henge into a seemingly harmless caravan and slowly followed the road towards the Hidden Mist.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the village, the group collectively gasped. From their vantage point, which happened to be on a hill that overlooked the village, they should have been able to observe some sort of night life. However, they were instead hard pressed to find simple signs of activity, like lights… or any noise whatsoever.

Maybe, if they weren't so confused, they could have noticed how beautiful and clear the starry sky looked, or how the full, yellow moon reflected perfectly off of the glassy water.

Kakashi began to think aloud, only to be disrupted by a large cleaver that flew past them, far too high to have been thrown with malicious intent. However, upon taking a closer look at the cleaver, Kakashi immediately identified it as Zabuza Momochi's infamous executioner's blade. As quickly he had deduced who threw it, Zabuza appeared atop his sword, which had dug itself into a tree. Shortly thereafter, a young woman appeared as well, hiding behind the mask of a hunter nin.

"Kakashi of the sharingan… what business do you have out in a desolate place like this?"

* * *

A/N: As always, reviews are appreciated! Update schedule should start conforming to more of a weekly schedule, though I also want to start a new story written from a 1st person POV. I'm a much better writer in 1st person, for whatever reason. 3rd person feels awkward; I feel weird providing too many inner thoughts, which can really help to characterize people. Eh, maybe I'll figure it out as I write more. Hopefully. Lastly, do you all prefer shorter, weekly chapters or longer, biweekly chapters?


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